Punch Drunk Love
by ocdwithlhg
Summary: [Complete] LL. What happens when Luke gets drunk & FINALLY admits his feelings to Lorelai? "He always wanted to admit his feelings, just not this way. But with her, any way would work." Better summary inside. Please R&R!
1. Past Love, Current Lives

_Title:_ Punch Drunk Love  
_Time frame:_ Mid-Season 4  
_Summary:_ What happens when Luke and Lorelai go to Rachel's engagement party? Well, I can tell you this much: Luke get's drunk and finally admits his feelings to Lorelai. Now, the question is...how will she take it? If she does, that is...you'll have to read and see!  
_Disclaimer:_ This is just my idea. Characters belong to ASP. Watch the frog.  
_Let's Pretend That...:_ Nicole and Luke still did get that divorce. Or are currently in the middle of it & that there is- and never was a Jason.

_Authors Note:_ So, I've had this story on my computer for a while. It's about 6 chapters. I'll probably update it every few days if you guys are intrested and want more! Please read and review! I appreciate it so much! (Note: I wrote this over the summer, so my writings kind of sucky! Sorry!)

**_"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way. But with her...any way would work."_**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Past Loves, Current Lives.**

It was an exceptionally slow day at the diner for Luke. Only a few people stopped by during the morning rush, which didn't seem very rushed. Kirk came in and made a fuss that his eggs weren't cooked with enough butter. Taylor tried to persuade Luke into hanging up a poster outside of the diner that said Congratulations Luke and Nicole. When would he ever put up a sign advertising his marriage? Exactly. Never. It's not like the town is happy for him...sure they may act like they are, but everybody in Stars Hollow thought Luke should be with Lorelai. He thought that too. And even though he loved Nicole, she just wasn't Lorelai. And that's what he felt guilty about. No matter how hard he'd try to throw Lorelai into the back of his mind, she always found a way to come back. The bell's rang above the door and Luke looked at Lorelai. Exactly. But he can't deny it. He loves when Lorelai comes into the diner. Whether or not he may act like he does, he patiently waits everyday for her to walk through the diner, yelling and fighting for her numerous cups of coffee. This day was no different. And he loved that. 'Consistency,' he thought to himself. He hated change.

"Hey!" She said plopping down on a stool in the middle of the counter. She glanced around and realized she was the only one in there. "Looks...busy."

"Yeah, it's been a pretty slow day."

"Coffee!" And that was the end of their conversation. She was onto her rage of getting her coffee. The coffee that she needed. Not.

"You know what?" He asked, pouring her a large cup of coffee. She raised her eyebrows at him while she took her first sip.

"Hmm?" She said putting the cup down and looking at him.

"You're going to die."

"How sweet of you. Guess what?"

"Huh?"

"You're going to die too!" She said smiling at him and taking another sip of her coffee. That was the smile he loved. Aside from the fact that she was the most beautiful woman he's ever seen, she always had that smile. That even if she looked like she was crying for a week, and makeup was running down her face, she still had that smile that saved everything.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get the mail." He walked out through the back and around to the mailbox. She stayed in the diner and observed the walls. Observed everything about the diner. Observed that over the past years, he never changed anything in the diner. Except for the painting that they did about 4 years ago, but other than that, everything was the same. And it always would be.

He walked in with a bunch of envelopes in his hand. He threw the mail down on the counter and walked around to sit next to Lorelai.

"Where's Nicole?"

"Work. She has a big case coming up, she's been working extra hours lately. She normally doesn't get home till about 10."

"Can I ask you something...I don't know, personal, I guess?"

"Sure."

"Where do you guys...sleep at night? I mean, I know you guys have your place in Litchfield, but...do you go there every night? It seems like it's a long drive ya know, in the morning and at night, when you guys could be right above the place you work." She said pointing upstairs to his apartment.

He looked at her with mystery and character. 'She's my friend. She deserves to know the truth.'

"We're getting a divorce. For real this time."

"Oh Luke..." she said sympathetically. Her expression changed to one that looked sorry for him. She really did feel sorry for him though, even though she hates Nicole. 'Why do I hate her? She's a nice girl, really.' She thought.

"Yeah, well, we tried, and...we're just not supposed to be married. We're just not supposed to be with eachother, ya know?"

"Well, if it wasn't meant to be...then...it wasn't meant to be." It was the whole fate thing she believed in. Ever since her and Christopher fell apart, that was her view on things. What's meant to be, is really meant to be. And though she knew Luke didn't feel the same exact way about those kind of things, she said it anyways.

"I guess."

There was an awkward moment of silence. Nobody said anything. Lorelai pushed the cup of coffee to her mouth and Luke began to fumble through the mail. His eyes widened at something in particular and Lorelai noticed.

"What's that?" She asked curiously.

"A letter from Rachel. Or something...I wonder what it is?"

He slowly opened the letter, making sure not to rip anything inside. 'Rachel' he thought to himself. 'Another person that I screwed things up with. Another person who thought I should be with Lorelai. Why is this girl so stupid? Why is she so clueless? With things ending with Nicole and I, I should make a move or something. No. Not at all. That would be stupid. She'd think I'm an idiot.' He pulled the letter out of the envelope. It was an invitation.

_Please Join...  
Rachel and Robert in celebrating there  
Engagement Party  
...on...  
April 30, 2004 at the Madison Hall in Millbrook New York  
30285 Lansing Road  
at 7:00 PM.  
Hope to see you all there._

_RSVP- 315-754-6733_

He saw a little arrow in the bottom right corner and turned the invitation over and read a note that Rachel left him.

_Luke! It's crazy how things work out, isn't it? One day, I'm on an African Safari, and the next, I'm making my marriage plans. It's been a while since I've seen you, but I'd love for you to come! So, please, do. And bring somebody along with you. I don't care who, but make sure at least you come! I'd love to see you again, we should talk. Call me, and hopefully I'll see you soon.  
__Love, Rachel._

Lorelai was leaning against his arm and reading over his shoulder the whole time.

"Lucky!" She squealed.

"What?"

"Rachel and Robert. That sounds good. The names flow. They both begin with R. That was a big deal for me. When I was going to get married to Max, I thought, ew, Lorelai and Max. Those names sound horrible. Not to mention did I hate the fact that my new name would be Lorelai Medina. That's just...wrong. If I ever get married, I think I'm keeping my last name. Unless his name sounds better than Gilmore."

"You're one odd person. Of all concerns you had, that was one of them?"

"Oh yeah. Are you telling me you never thought you're name would sound weird with somebody else's?"

"That is exactly what I am saying."

"Nicole Danes." They both looked at eachother, smiled, and shook their head.

"Luke and...who? What sounds good?"

"I don't know."

"Lorelai and...who?" Come on, there has to be something that sounds good."

"I'm sure there is."

"Luke and Lorelai!" She said, clapping her hands in excitement. Luke blushed a little, unsure of what to say.

"Ha, that sounds cute! Have you ever thought about our names together? Luke and Lorelai. They both start with L! How do you like that!"

'Have you ever thought about our names together?' Rang through his head. 'Nope, but I've thought about _us_ together.' He sighed and pushed the fact away.

"Yeah, that's funny."

"But really, what sounds good with Lorelai. I believe I can find my soul mate this way. It's just that when I have kids with this guy I want them to be able to realize that there parents names--"

Lorelai continued blabbing like always but Luke tuned her out, unconsciously of course. He re-read the invitation. 'Rachel' he thought to himself. 'She could have been the one. She should have been the one, but I'm stupid, and ruined things. And the second time, when she came back to Stars Hollow, I should have trusted her more. But I couldn't, and I drove her away. It'd be nice to see her though.' He flipped the invitation over and read the back again. 'Bring somebody.' He had nobody to ask though. He couldn't ask Nicole even he wanted too--which he didn't. That would be too weird. 'Lorelai' he thought. 'Maybe I should ask her?' He looked over at Lorelai who at this point was talking about what she'd name her second kid and the fact that first names that are also last names is a very lame practice. 'She's so crazy.' He thought, shaking his head.

"So, are you going to go?" She asked when she noticed him reading the invitation over again.

Luke nodded his head. "Yeah, I think so."

"That's good. I think it'd be good for you to get out here for a day or two. You know, just to think about things."

He gave her a quick stare. "What are you doing this weekend?"

"Me? Uh, nothing I guess. Why?"

"Why don't you come with me?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, I have nobody else to bring, so why not?"

"Ah, that's so sweet of you. I'm glad to know I'm your last option."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. You know you're my first pick. I'm just saying, I obviously can't bring Nicole. So, I want you to come with me. Plus, Rachel likes you a lot."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I think it'd be...fun. Plus you could go buy something to wear or something like that."

"Oh! Good thinking! I better get started now!" She took one last sip of her coffee and walked out of the diner. He watched her walk off. He grinned to himself. He just asked Lorelai to go with him, and of course in no way was it a date, but he got to spend time with her. And away from Stars Hollow.

He walked over to the phone and called the number on the invitation. "Hello?"

"Rachel?"

"Yeah, who's this?"

"It's Luke."

Rachel gasped. "Oh! Hi Luke! How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"

"Oh, every things great! Just putting some final touches to on our wedding invitations. Did you get the invitation for the engagement party?"

"Yeah, I did. Congratulations, by the way. That's really great."

"Oh thank you Luke. So do you think you'll be able to make it? Please tell me you're coming!"

"Yeah, I am coming."

"Great! Are you bringing anybody with you? So I can mark down how many people and everything."

"Actually, I am. If that's still okay, of course."

"Of course it is! We want you to bring somebody. Who are you bringing? Anybody I know?"

"Actually...yes. I'm bring Lorelai."

"You're kidding! That's great! I was thinking of inviting her, but I thought she might think I'm weird since we never really talked after that one time that I came a few years ago. But, really, that's great that she's coming! Are you guys...dating?" She of all people knew Luke's undying gratitude for Lorelai. She was the one who pointed it out to him. Rachel always had her way with things.

"No, we're not. Actually, I'm married. Sort of."

"You're married?"

"Well, not really. I was, I guess you could say. Long story made short, we were drunk, got married on a cruise, decided immediately afterwards to get a divorce, but then decided it'd be nice to try this out, but it's not working, so we're filing for a divorce."

"Wow. Who is this lucky girl?"

"Her name's Nicole. She's a lawyer who I met when she was defending Taylor, or something like that."

"Oh, she's a stupid one, eh? on."

"Exactly."

Rachel laughed. She missed Luke. "Well, it's so good to hear from you. I can't wait to see you and Lorelai. We can talk more when you get here, oh and by the way, sorry about this all on short notice. We were a little delayed with the invitations. So, we'll see you in 2 day's!"

"Thanks for inviting me. And yeah, I'll see you on Saturday."

"Great! Bye Luke!"

"Bye."

As soon as he hung up, a couple of people walked into the diner and sat at the counter, demanding food. As he cooked them their food, he thought about Rachel, and what it'd be like to see her, happy, and getting married, which automatically made him think about Nicole, and his ability to screw up yet another relationship. He went into the slump that he was a failure with love, and as much as he wanted not to be, that's just way it was for him.

Lorelai went home and pulled out the cordless, dialing Rory's cell phone but her answering machine picked up. "Hey hun, it's me. Who in there right mind is trying to declare orange the new pink? Yeah, sorry, just reading a magazine, but yeah, guess where I'm going this weekend. I'm going to New York with Luke because he's going to Rachel's engagement party, and he invited me. I know, I know, you're probably thinking, oh great, my mother is going to make a fool out of herself yet again, but I've already thought of topics to talk about this time, and let me tell you, the new coffee makers isn't one of them. Well, I better get going. Call me when you get the chance, nothing special around here. Miss ya."

'Luke and I together' she thought to herself. 'Of course in the broadest sense of the word way, as in us going to a engagement party together. It's not like it's a date. It's not like were a couple. Although that wouldn't be so bad, would it? What am I talking about? There's no way that Luke and I could date. That would be so weird. We're best friends. But he is such a great guy. And not to mention, good looking too. But he is getting a divorce. Duh, Lorelai, why are you even thinking about this? New subject. Clothes, ooh, what am I going to wear? Good idea!'

She grabbed the phone and dialed the number to Luke's.

"Luke's."

"I have a great idea! Are you ready for this?"

"Who the hell is this?"

"It's Lorelai. Who else has great ideas?"

"Yeah, silly me."

"You just said silly! That's unusual."

"Sorry, so what's your great idea?"

"Well, I was just thinking. I have nothing to wear, and you have nothing to wear..."

"Dirty." Luke said sarcastically.

"Lucas Danes! You did not just say dirty! You are catching on!"

"Don't call me Lucas."

"Right, so back to the fact that we're both nude...well, not really, but you know what I mean, why don't we go to the mall and get some cute matching outfits or something!"

"Lorelai, I don't shop."

"I know, but still. I'm going with you, and it's not like I want to, so consider it a favor." She said, completely joking.

"Oh," he sounded disappointed, "well, if you don't want to come, you didn't have to say yes."

"Calm down, I was kidding! Gosh...of course I want to come, but still...what do you say? Get off early tonight, and we can go to the mall!"

"I hate malls Lorelai."

"I know, I hear that every time I bring up the damn place, but just do this for me. Please?" She tried sounding innocent.

"I guess..."

"Yay! Great! Okay, come to my house in a little bit and we'll drive over there."

"Yeah, and you're parking."

"Deal."

"Ok, see you in a little bit then."

"Okay, bye."

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_A/N: So yes. There's the first chapter. I know that the whole Rachel thing is random, but it works. And I know it's all sorta, 'uh, yeah right', but I promise it gets better. Especially at the actual party! _:o) 

_Please review! Let me know what you think. Good, bad, okay? Suggestions?! I'd love to hear from you!_

_Teaser: Chapter 2- The Fun In Pretending  
Luke and Lorelai shop for a wedding dress...who's wedding dress though? Up next!_


	2. The Fun in Pretending

_Authors Note:_ Thanks too all the sweet reviewers! From what you wrote, I get the feeling you are curious as to where this is going so here's chapter 2 to fufill your curiousity! The story might be a little iffy, but I'm givin it to you. Enjoy chapter 2! Please review! Thanks! :o)

**_"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way. But with her...any way would work."

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_Chapter 2: The Fun in Pretending**

At around 3, Luke pulled up into the Gilmore's driveway and honked the horn for a good, few seconds. He knew that was his only way of getting Lorelai to come out here quickly. She opened the door and gave him an impatient sort of look. She held up her pointer finger, motioning that she'd be out in a second. When she turned around and innocently walked through the front door which was wide open. She dripped over a shoe, and Luke noticed. He couldn't help but laugh a little. 'She's such a clutz.'

A few minutes later, she finally walked out and closed the door behind her. She was reaching in her purse when her cell phone rang. She walked up to the car, hair in her face, trying to answer it before the person hung up. She hopped in the car as soon as she said...

"Hello?" She closed the car door and turned to Luke, gave him a smile and lifted her eyebrows in respect to say hello.

"Lorelai?"

"It's a lost cause." She murmured. "Hi Mom."

"I just wanted to let you know that we won't be having Friday night dinner tomorrow. I'm sorry but your father and I have been invited to a dinner party and it would be rude not to show."

"But mommy! That's not fair! You didn't say you were allowed to go to dinner parties when we made the deal about Chilton!" She joked.

"Yes, I know. I'll talk to you later, Lorelai. Goodbye."

She hung up the phone and through it back in her purse. "Hey, I'm supposed to be driving ya know?"

"What can I say? I'm in a generous mood today."

They drove to the mall and after a few minutes of yelling and fighting, Luke finally found a parking spot. They walked through the main door at the mall and walked straight to the stairs. Right before walking up the stairs, Lorelai stood in front of a bridal store, jaw dropped. Luke continued walking until he realized that she wasn't following him.

"What?" He looked at her with confusion.

"That dress is unbelievable!"

"Okay...ready to go?"

"Luke. That dress is unbelievable."

"I heard you the first time."

"No, I don't think you did. Where's Rory when you need her? She needs to teach you a few things. When something's unbelievable, I try it on. Now come on." She grabbed his arm and started pulling him into the store. Their eyes quickly adjusted to the mass of white. Everything was white, and big. Not the place for Luke.  
  
"You're not getting married." He said matter-of-factly.

"Well look at you, Mr. Reality and all. I'm aware of that, but I can still try a dress on."

When she walked over to the dress that was close to the window, a sales woman walked up to with a plastered smile on her face.

"Are you shopping for your wedding?"

Luke opened his mouth but closed it as soon as he felt the pinch from Lorelai on his arm. She linked her arm through his.

"We most certainly, aren't we Lukey?" She said as if she was talking to a baby.

He rolled his eyes, and glared at her. "Yeah, right."

"Would you like to try something on?" The sales woman asked.

Lorelai glanced at her name tag. "Actually...Meredith," she grinned at her, "I was interested in this." She pointed to the dress hanging on the wall. "Is there anyway I could try it on?"

After fishing for the correct size, Lorelai took the oversized wedding dress into the dressing room and tried it on. 'If this is what my wedding dress looked like before, I might have considered trying it on every night! Huh.' Her failed marriage to Max ran through her mind. 'Okay.'

She heard a knock on the door. "Ready to come out?" Meredith asked.

Lorelai opened the door and noticed Luke looking at a dress facing away from her. She whistled at him and smiled. A strange feeling took over Luke, as if he was getting married to Lorelai. She looked so beautiful in that dress, and he was going to tell her that. He was going to tell her the truth, even though Lorelai knew he was acting. His eyes widened and he gave her a light smile.

"So! What do you think?" She said turning around and showing off every part of the dress.

"You look beautiful." She caught his eye, and they made serious contact. "Really."

And by that, she knew he really meant it. Her stomach jumped a little. She walked back into the dressing room and changed into her clothes which felt so bare. "Here ya go." She said handing Meredith the dress. "I think we'll have to come back after we check out a few more places."

They were unusually quiet for the rest of the time. After walking through 3 different department stores, Lorelai finally found a dress she liked. It was dark maroon, and went down to her knees. It was slinky, and had small tee-shirt sleeves that puffed up. The front swooped down a little, but it wasn't too revealing. Luke really didn't need a new outfit, but Lorelai insisted on him getting a new shirt, so he got a dark maroon shirt to match Lorelai's dress. She was the one who picked it out.

"Why does it matter if we match or not?"

"Because, I think it'd be festive! And not to mention, we'll be the hottest couple there."

He grinned to himself. 'Couple.' But really, he knew she meant a couple...of friends, and nothing more. That didn't stop him from grinning though.

They left the mall at around 4, and Luke dropped Lorelai off. She turned to him before getting out of the car. "So, when are we going to leave?"

"Uh, well the party is on Saturday at 7,...so, I don't know. I can't imagine it taking us more than a few hours to get there. Should we leave around 3?"

Lorelai thought it over. Assuming they'd get there around 6:30 which would be cutting close ends.

"I have a better idea." She said wishfully.

"I'm sure. What is it?"

"How about we go tomorrow night and we can just get a hotel room for the night? And then we'll have all day to do things. We should probably get them a gift, and it wouldn't hurt to check out the town. If you don't want to do that, we could just leave early Saturday morning."

Luke looked at her with questioning eyes. "I guess that wouldn't be so bad." He thought the idea over to himself.

"I'm just such a smart person." She said, smiling wisely at him.

"Say's the woman who asked me how to cut a tomato."

Lorelai glared at him and began to walk out of the car. She leaned in through the window. "So what do you say, pick me up at around 6 tomorrow? We'll get there around 8:30-9, and then just crash for the night?"

Luke smiled at her. "Alright, sounds good. Oh and hey, thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Coming with me."

She smiled back. "Well thanks for inviting me."

And with that, she took her new dress and walked proudly into the house. Nothing made her happier than buying a new dress to get all dolled up in. She loved dressing up, that's what she lived for. 'Sad, I know.'

The next day, she went to the Dragonfly. Of course it wasn't open yet, but she had to meet Sookie there to talk about some floor plans. She walked into the half furnished kitchen and found Sookie stirring something on the oven.

"And she's already cooking. What a surprise."

"Well, I just had a great idea, so I thought, 'why not?'"

"Enlighten me!"

"Okay, well I was thinking that if you were to mix two sauces to have a more riche--"

"Never mind Sookie. So, guess where I'm going this weekend."

"Uh, Yale?"

"Why would I go to Yale?"

"I don't know. To visit Rory I suppose."

"Well you suppose, wrong. I'm going to New York with Luke. Guess why!"

"Because you finally realized that you are meant to be and you're going to one of those private chapels on the border?"

"Funny." Lorelai said sarcastically. "And in so many ways is that not true, you're wrong again. You suck at this guessing game."

"Well then why are you going?"

"Rachel invited him to his engagement party, and he asked me to come along with him."

"Why didn't he invite Nicole?"

"I don't know if it's my word to say, but they're getting a divorce."

"Ah, so soon? Why!"

"I guess they just weren't supposed to be together."

Sookie grinned at Lorelai. "It's that whole fate thing." Sookie started, "but we all know who he should really be with." She said raising her eyebrows at Lorelai.

"You're so not funny. That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard! Really, I mean could you imagine Luke and I dating. Besides the fact that neither him, or I have feelings for eachother, imagine what would happen if we did, and then we broke up. It would ruin our whole friendship, and nothings worth putting that at stake."

"Wow, I didn't know you have such strong feelings about your friendship with Luke."

"Eh, well...I just don't want to lose the coffee."

"Right."

"Exactly."

She stayed a little longer and went over some things with Sookie. When she went home, she packed a bag that of course, was over packed for her two day trip. She always over packed, and this was no exception. When she completed her packing, she went in the shower which is when Rory called.

"It's Lorelai. Leave a message at the beep. And if you can't hear the beep, then that's too damn bad." The answering machine played.

"Hi mom, it's me. Just calling to check up on things. Sorry I missed you the other day, it's been crazy around here with all the studying, but life goes on. Anyways, I'm curious as to this getaway you are going on with Luke, so call me back with details. I want to talk to you before you leave, assuming you're still around. I'll call you later. Love ya."

When she got out of the shower, she walked over to the phone and noticed the answering machine blinking. She played Rory's message, and called her back. They talked about the engagement party, and the wedding dress, and the matching outfits they got. When she hung up, she called Luke's to confirm that he was still coming to get her in a little while.

"Luke's."

"Hi, it's Lorelai."

"Oh hey, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just finished packing, I'm all set to go! When shall I be expecting my gentleman caller to pick me up?"

"You're what?"

"Have you never seen–never mind. We're not getting in this conversation. What time are you coming?"

"Oh, uh, I'll probably be over in about a half hour. I have to run some things by Caesar and Lane real quick, and then I'll throw some things together and head over there."

"Alright, see ya soon!"

"Yeah, bye."

* * *

_There's chapter 2 for you! It gets better, I promise. Starting...next chapter. Let the games begin. Well, let me know what you think! Just press that little review button & I guarantee that you'll get chapter 3 withen a day or two! _

_Teaser: Chapter 3- Sharing Secrets & Beds  
__"I don't know, you're probably crazy in bed."  
"Dirty!"_


	3. Sharing Secrets & Beds

_Authors Note:_ I just want to say thanks to all of you guys that have reviewed! I've gotten such nice feedback from all of you and I really do appreciate it! Trust me, it def. keep's you motivated, how ever many people say it, it's true.  So, I encourage you to all continue doing so! :) Afterall, it'll get you a quicker update! Anyways, here's chapter 3. Maybe it's a little OOC but I wrote this over the summer, and I got the secret part from watching a preview for 13 going on 30. If you guy's have seen it...or even just the preview, you might know what I'm taking about. Enjoy the chapter! I'm thinking of just posting the 4th chapter tomorrow because I'm going out of town on Friday until Sunday afternoon so next chapter either tomorrow or Sunday. You tell me! :)

_**"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way.  But with her...any way would work."

* * *

** _

**Chapter 3: Sharing Secrets & Bed's**

Luke arrived at Lorelai's not too long after promised. He helped her bring out her over-stuffed bags to the car after a few minutes of arguing about the exceeding amount of clothes she brought. They hit the road close to 6, and Lorelai spent the first hour fumbling around with the radio, trying to settle for something decent.

"Why didn't I bring my CD's?" She whined.

"Because you're smart and nice." He said matter-of-factly.

"Wow Luke. I believe some people would consider calling that a compliment."

"Really I just meant your smart and nice because now I don't have to listen to your horrible music."

She glared at him and continued searching for an okay station that wasn't too fuzzy. Starting to feel tired, she pushed her seat back and slept smoothly for about an hour and a half. When she woke up, she looked around, confused for a second, but then realized where she was headed.

"Oh my God! Luke! You kidnapped me!"

"You're a nut."

"So how soon will we be at the hotel?"

"Well, since you managed to sleep for the whole ride, believe it or not, we should probably start looking for one now.  Keep your eyes open."

"I swear, car rides are so easy. Don't ya think?"  She turned at him and smiled.

They got off the highway and started cruising the streets of New York. After a few minutes of, 'this looks better than that' they settled on a place that at least looked decent and went inside to get a room.

"Hi!" Lorelai said cheerfully to the man at the front desk. "We need one room!"

"Would you like the suite?" He said in a monotonous voice.

Luke and Lorelai exchanged glances. "No, just a normal room will be fine." Lorelai said to the man.

He handed them a key to room 16. They walked up the stairs, and headed down their hall. "This place looks nice." Lorelai said looking at the pictures hanging on the wall.

"Yeah, it must be tough to impress somebody like you who's starting their own Inn."

"Well, I've got my standards."

They found their room and Lorelai opened the door. "Looks good from the outside at least." Lorelai said glancing at the room. It was one big room, 2 large chairs, a separate area for the kitchen and what looked to be like a separate room for the bathroom. She quickly looked over the room and realized that there was...

"One bed." Luke said.

"Yeah, one bed." She echoed.

"It's okay. I'll sleep on one of those chairs." He walked over to the chair and pushed it back. "Ah, yes. This is perfect."

Lorelai laughed a little, he looked rather uncomfortable. She looked over to the large queen size bed that could easily fit the two of them.

"Or we could just share the bed. We're big kids, Luke."

"Yeah, well, you might bite me, or kick me or something."

Lorelai had to laugh. "Is that what you really think of me?"  She asked innocently.

"I don't know, you're probably crazy in bed."

"Dirty!" She couldn't resist.

"That's not what I mean."

"Well,_ you_ could be that judge of _that_." She said seductively.  Kidding--of course.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying I'm sure that you kick and stuff."

"Uh, okay. I'm glad to know you think about what I'd be like to sleep with. Literally. But really, it's not that big of a deal. I'm sure I could handle sleeping next to you for the night."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

He just nodded his head and began fumbling through one of his bags and looked up at Lorelai when he noticed she was pacing back and forth.

"Gosh, it's so hot in here." Lorelai said fanning herself with her hand.

"Yeah, I'll get a window open." Luke said walking towards the window and trying to open it.

"I'm going to get changed. I'll be out in a sec, and then you can use it if you want."

Lorelai brought her bag in and washed up for bed. She looked through her suitcase for something to throw on. 'Crap!' She thought. She looked through her bag and realized she brought three equally revealing slips. A black, purple, and dark red one. They were all very small and slinky, going down almost to her knees. She decided on the black. She threw it on, and pinned back her straightened hair, pieces falling out. She grabbed her bags and walked out of the door. Luke was sitting on the edge of the bed and glanced at her when she walked out. He swallowed the lump forming in this throat when he eyed her up and down, trying not to be noticeable. 'Damn, she looks good.'

Lorelai looked at him with apologetic eyes. "Sorry, I forgot to pack...appropriate clothes."

He grabbed his bag and walked towards the bathroom. "No problem."

She hopped in the bed and pulled the covers over her. When Luke walked out, he put his things down and jumped in with her. They were actually close. Comfortable close, that is. There hands were both underneath the covers and when Luke moved, his hands brushed by hers and he kept them close by. She smiled in the dark because of the way her body reacted to him slightly touching her. She felt like her body suddenly got numb. It was a good feeling.

"I'm not tired." She said, breaking the silence.

"Maybe you shouldn't have fallen asleep on me during the ride up."

"Hey, consider yourself saved. You didn't have to listen to me talk."

Luke smiled to himself. Sure it appeared to her that way--that he never wanted to talk--but, that was far from the truth.

"It's not that I don't mind listening to you talk..."

"But..."

"But, I hate listening to you talk about stupid things."

"I never talk about stupid things!" She insisted.

"Lorelai, listen to yourself. You're the one who rambles on about whether or not a person with colored contacts will see in just that color."

"It's just a hypo--"

"..thetical theory. I know. But do you honestly think that somebody would make colored contacts so you can only see in that color?"

"I don't know. People made reality TV shows. Who knows what's up next."

"I'm changing subjects, even though I want to go to sleep."

"But you can't leave me alone here, with nobody to talk to. Although I suppose I could talk to myself, but that would be disturbing wouldn't it?"

"Either way, it's disturbing."

"Jeez, you're really good at that whole being nice thing."

"Yeah, what can I say?"

She started wiggling her foot quicky under the sheets.  After a few aggrivated minutes, Luke threw his foot on top of hers so she'd stop the wiggling.  "That get's annoying, ya know."  He said taking his foot off of hers.

"Sorry."  She said quietly, looking for something else to say.  "So, you excited to see Rachel?"

Luke thought about the idea for a moment. He hadn't given much thought about what it'd be like to see her again. Of course, all those old Rachel feelings would come back, but...it's too late now. She's getting married. And even though he doesn't want to pursue his relationship with Rachel, it's just that feeling that he always gets around her...when he see's her. It's the feeling he thinks will probably never go away.

"Yeah, I am. It's been a while."

"I know...have you talked to her ever since she left Stars Hollow about...what 4 years ago?"

"A few times but...we sort of had a rough goodbye...I thought it'd be weird to talk to her after something's she said."

"What did she have to say? If you don't mind telling me..." Lorelai laughed quietly at her techniques. 'Oh, you're gunna tell me now, that's for sure.'  She thought.

"Uh, she just told me she thought that my heart wasn't in it this time...and that I...don't know, liked, or loved somebody else. That's what_ she_ thought." He said, informing her that she was the one who said that--not him.

"Did she say somebody in specific? Or just in general?" Lorelai knew she was being nosey, but still. Once he started this conversation, there really wasn't a way to get out of it.

"No, there was somebody in specific."

"Really?" Lorelai asked, surprised. "Who? You know you have to tell me. Ooh, is that girl that comes in the diner on Danish Day and tries hitting on you so that you give her the biggest one? Oh and by the way, she totally stole that from me. She saw me doing it one day, and ever since then- boom! You're looking at Lorelai Jr."

Luke laughed a little. "Linda. And no, it's not her."

"Really...hmm...who is it then? Wow. Please tell me it's not like Patty or Babette or somebody."

"Lorelai, you have to be sick-minded to seriously think of something like that."

"I don't know, there are not many 'Luke type' girls in the Hollow. I don't know who you're falling for these days." And suddenly she felt like she was in 6th grade...secretly prying to find out who he likes. Or well, in this case...liked.

"Well, just to clarify things with you, no it wasn't Babette or Patty."

"Well then who was it?"

Luke sighed. "You really want to know?"

"No. I'm just begging you for the fun of it, because believe me...it's thrilling. Yes I want to know."

"You." He said simply.

"Me?"

"Yeah, she thought that I always liked you."

After all these years of hearing things about Luke having feelings for her--she realized...for a change, he was actually admitting...admitting what people say, that is.  Sure he never said those feelings were true, but he was being open, and talking about what other people say because it has to do with them.  She was lost on words for a change.  How do you possibly respond to something like that?  'Just...go and be you, I guess.'

"Ha, that's so crazy. Doesn't she understand how much I annoy you?"

"Sure you annoy me, but of course I like your company."

'Is he admitting it's true?' Stupid questions in her stupid mind. Now is _not_ the right time to be thinking about these things.

"But why me?"

"I don't know, I guess she just saw something in us besides friendship. I tried telling her that we were just friends, but...she didn't think that was all."

'We are _just_ friends.'  She thought to herself.  'Not in a bad way...not at all like, 'we are just friends and that's what we'll always be!' kind of thing...I just mean that in reality, we are just friends. Whether or not we'll be more one day, I just don't know, but...for now that's what we are.  And whatever the future may bring, we'll...I'll be glad it's the present.'

Luke is a great guy. A great friend. A great person. He's always there for her. Whenever she needs him. Whether it's to fix the hinges on the door, or to buff up the top right corner of her coffee maker, or just to be there when she needs to talk, he's still always there. And now, here she is prying him for answers, and he just goes and admits it.  She for one, would have never said the truth to him.  And although Lorelai _isn't_ in this position because 1. She's not a man, and 2. She never _techinally_ had an ex leave her because of another man...it would only build up to unanswered questions, confusion, and awkwardness, but he didn't mind the awkwardness, there wasn't much confusion, and with her--the unanswered questions would soon be answered.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure."

"You're my best friend." And she didn't mean that in a hurtful way. As in, 'you're my best friend, there's no way we could date.' More in a, 'you're my best friend and you're also a great guy,' kind of way. "I appreciate everything you've done for me _so_ much."

Luke smiled to himself. Lorelai did the same.

"Can I tell _you_ a secret?"

"What?"

"You've uh...ya know, you've always been my...best friend." Sure he might sound like an idiot saying that, studdering and all, but there really wasn't a more truer statement to be said.

'Did he really just say that?' Lorelai thought. 'How come Luke's being so...open? Is there more he wants to tell me? I wonder if he actually does...or did, have feelings for me before. No, that would be crazy. What about me could he possibly be interested in? And since when am I thinking about things like that? I don't like Luke at all. He's my best friend, and that's it. Yeah, that's it.'

'Did I really just say that?' Luke's mind was racing with confusion. 'She probably thinks I'm in idiot. Should I tell her that I really did love her all along? No, that would be stupid. She could never be the slightest bit interested in me."

And suddenly, Lorelai moved her hand so and it touched Luke's. But she didn't move it this time, she just kept her hand sitting next to his, and that was okay. Because, they're best friends. And best friends can be close, right? Right.

Lorelai stayed awake for what seemed like forever. She kept wishing she'd ask if it was true or not. 'Of course it's not true. I drive the poor guy crazy...but still, I wonder what he would have said. Not to mention it would be extremely uncomfortable for the both of us but still. Curiosity didn't kill the cat. Curiosity's what made the kittens. Oh sick, in no way am I thinking about having...shut up Lorelai. Plus, since when are you having thoughts about Luke? He's your best friend, and that's it. If something actually happened with us, and it didn't work, it would completely ruin our friendship. But it's not like I want something, so just stop thinking about these crazy things.' And she did, and fell asleep after her mind threw out the crazy idea of her and Luke together.

She woke up in the middle of the night...around 4 am. She just had a...scary dream that she was married to Luke. It was much like the one she had the first time, a couple years back, when she was pregnant with their twins but this time she was having triplets. When she woke up, she went downstairs and Luke was making her a huge breakfast. She gave him a kiss good morning, and he said hi to the kids, yet again. But this time, he tried giving her orange juice. 'You know I hate orange juice.' She told him. 'I know, but I love you, and I don't want our kids to be messed up because you drink too much coffee.' 'Hey, it's not like I'm chugging the vodka, and believe me, I can.' He kissed her one more time, and she went to eat her breakfast across the table from him. He put his hand on the side of hers, and then she woke up to see that one arm was thrown over Lorelai's waist, and the other was underneath him, still against the side of her hand. She also noticed that their legs were tangled up within eachothers, and they were awfully close.  'Freaky.' She got up to go to the bathroom, and when she went back to bed, she saw Luke waking up.

"What time is it?" He said sleepily.

She glanced over at the clock. "It's 4...go back to sleep, sorry I had to go to the bathroom."

"Why are you up anyways? You can sleep through anything except construction work..."

"Uh, weird dream. Kinda woke me up...but just go back to sleep."

"What was your dream about?" He said, rubbing his eyes awake.

"I'll tell you in the morning, if you still want to know. I'm going to try and fall back asleep before I can't sleep at all. See you when the sun is actually out."

"Yeah, night."

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That's that! I hope you liked the chapter. Weird, maybe. Stupid, okay. Good, sure. You let me know. All you've gotta do is review!

Teaser: Chapter 4- Drinking Will Do That To You   
"You're so beautiful."    
"Thanks."   
"No really, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful woman than you in my life."

But nobody said he was talking to Lorelai...or even if that was Luke. You'll just have to wait and see! :)


	4. Drinking Will Do That To You

_Authors Note:_  First off, thank you SOO much for the incredible feedback!! It mean's a lot to me and you guys are all so sweet! :) Please keep doin' so! Second- Here's the 4th chapter. It's a little hazy and not so well on details until we actually get to the party. As you'll read, you'll notice I didn't really have a lot of Rachel in this chapter. I didn't want that in there just for the purpose of the story. And also, I'm not sure what a drunk Luke would be like, really. (This isn't how I'd think he'd be.) And I'm not sure _what_ would get him drunk, or how many drink's he'd have to consume, so this is all sorta practical. I'm sure he wouldn't be as weird as I've made him, since we've seen him in Nag Hammadi...but this is just how he is for the story. Things might seem wrong, or out of character, but I guess this isn't an ordinary story! I don't _think_ this is how it'd go, but it's just my little idea of fun. Enjoy and please review! Let me know what you guys think!

_Disclaimer:_ Gilmore girls belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino.  All that is mine is this weird idea.

**_"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way.  But with her, any way would work."   
_****_

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_**

**_Chapter 4: Drinking Will Do That To You_**

At around noon, Luke and Lorelai were already headed out to shop for a gift for Rachel and Robert. They were driving in a small little town that surprisingly resembled Stars Hollow. Just by the look of it, that is. They hadn't been talking much...but that was okay.  Luke was concentrating on driving, while Lorelai gazed out the window thinking about God knows what.

"So did I kick or bite you last night?"

"Not that I know of...did you sleep okay after your rendezvous at 4 AM?"

"I just went to the bathroom."

"What was your dream about?" He asked quickly while they were still on the topic.

Lorelai's cheeks reddened slightly. She felt stupid if she told him that she had another dream about them being married. So, she lied her way through it.

"Just that Rory was moving far, far away. It's one of those things that makes you wake up...well for me at least."

"Oh...gotcha."

And that was the end of that. They spent the majority of their afternoon shopping around little towns surrounding the large city. After they got the engagement present, they went to a little diner for lunch called Lucy's. They walked in and after Lorelai studied the environment for a minute, she whispered to Luke.

"This is freaky. It's just like your diner."

He glanced around and raised his eyebrows. "Not really."

They sat at the counter. A perky girl walked out from the kitchen wearing a striped button up shirt. Lorelai stole a glance at Luke which pretty much read, 'told ya so!' Even if it was stripes...

"Can I start you off with a drink?"

"Coffee for me. Tea for him." He looked over at her and smiled in admiration. It's funny how much you know about one person. It's almost scary that you know somebody that well...as friends at least.

When the girl brought back their drinks, Lorelai took a sip of coffee and abruptly threw it down, coughing slightly.

"This is nothing like the diner."

"Exactly." He said sipping his tea.

After some persuading, Lorelai convinced Luke to go shopping with her. It was a successful day, and Lorelai was on a roll. When Luke finally got her to give up her shopping spree, she agreed and they headed back to the hotel. It was already almost 5.

"How can it be so late?" She asked, surprised.

"Well, maybe your endless hours of shopping had something to do it." Luke said dryly.

"Hey, look where we are now mister. They obviously weren't endless." She said matter-of-factly.

They spent about an hour watching TV and talking before Luke realized that he was with _Lorelai_. She obviously needed her time to get ready, and they should probably leave a little early, in case there was traffic.

"It's almost 6. I'm going in the shower."

Lorelai jumped up. "Oh! I'm going in the shower too!"

"Lorelai, you are not going in the shower with me."

"Don't sound so cocky. I'm aware of that. I'm saying that you should hurry because I take a long time. And then, getting dressed is going to be a big deal, and hair, and makeup, and..."

"I'm going in now."

He took the quickest shower Lorelai ever witnessed. Therefore, she took an extra long shower; making up for the lost minutes Luke missed out on, and then slipped on her dress after messing around with her hair and makeup. Luke got dressed in his 'matching' shirt, black pants, coat, and a tie. Lorelai took his arm and guided him to the bathroom. She linked her arm through his, as she looked at them in the mirror.

"We are adorable!" Lorelai screeched in excitement.

"You look great." He said, checking her out through the mirror.

"We almost look too good together. What if people mistake us for brother and sister?"

Luke rolled his eyes and began to walk away. "I don't think they will."

"What if they think we're married?"

"Then they think were married."

"What if they think we hate each other?"

"Then they think we hate each other." He was stuck in her trance. "Wait no, why would we come together if we hate each other?"

"What if they thought we were the new Bennifer?"

"The new what?"

"Never mind, let's go. We don't want to be late."

They headed out the door and pulled into the place 5 minutes to seven. The valet guys insisted on parking for them.  Lorelai had no fuss with that although Luke on the other hand did. They walked up the stairs, and Lorelai grabbed onto Luke's arm, once again linking hers through his. She turned to him and smiled, "ready?"

"Yup."

They walked into the building, and there was a little lobby and a sign that said RACHEL AND ROBERT'S PARTY, and an arrow pointing to the right. They began walking, but stopped when they saw a coat room. Lorelai threw her coat on a hanger, grabbed the ticket and shoved it in her purse. They walked into a room filled already with lots of people. The lights were dimmed down, and there was man playing the piano in the corner. Servers were walking around with trays of appetizers.

"Wow, this is nice." Lorelai said looking around the room.

"Yeah. It is." Luke was impatiently looking around the room for Rachel. And then he spotted her, and suddenly it seemed like he was in love with her all over again. He turned to Lorelai standing right next to him, smiling slightly to herself. 'Nope,' he sighed. 'It's not Rachel.'

"Lorelai! Luke!" Rachel screamed from across the room, rapidly walking towards them. She gave Lorelai a huge hug, and she gave Luke an equivalent one with a peck on the cheek. They gave her the gift, and talked for a little while before meeting Robert. He was a tall, attractive guy. At least Lorelai thought so. And you could tell that they were really in love. They were very close and always laughing at each others comments when sometimes Luke and Lorelai exchanged confused looks. But it was cute, they were happy, and that was good. Luke was jealous though, and Lorelai could tell by the way he was looking at him. He dismissed himself to get a drink while she watched him down a drink quicker than anyone ever before.

"What's the matter?" She asked accusingly.

"What make's you think something's the matter?"

"You just seemed a little feisty back there."

"I was not being feisty."

"Okay, you weren't being feisty. Anyways, you okay?" She said, reaching out to put her hand on his arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just going to get another drink."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and went to talk to Rachel again. She watched Luke from the corner of her eye for about 20 minutes while he sat at a table fumbling with his hands and occasionally mumbling things to himself. She looked a little worried. He was...I don't know? Drunk? You could say so.

After appetizers were finished being served and a speech was made, dancing began. It seemed like everybody but Luke and Lorelai were dancing. This night was turning out unusually odd...There wasn't much communication with Rachel and Luke. She was pretty busy being occupied the whole time but you could tell she'd try to make an effort to talk to him, where he just stood there making no effort whatsoever.

Luke looked across the table at Lorelai and watched her as she admired all the dancing couples on the dance floor. "Wanna dance?" Luke said, getting up and holding his hand out to Lorelai.

She looked up at him, surprised and smiled. "Uhm, sure..."

They went out to the dance floor and Luke practically slumped his body against Lorelai's, making sure not to fall over. He had way too much to drink, and Lorelai knew it. 'Why is he acting so weird all of a sudden?' She wondered. And then she began to think how hard it would be for her to show up at Max's engagement party. Luke must have been feeling pretty low which explains the lack of interest in everything except the liquor stand.

As the song came to end, she held his hand and walked him back to this seat, where he sat content, and staring at his plate like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. 'Why did I have to screw things up with Rachel? Why was I stupid? And hell with Rachel, but Nicole too? Nicole's great. And now, here I am slowly screwing up the shred of something I have with Lorelai.' He walked over to a table and got another drink.

Dinner was being served, and Lorelai talked with the two other couples sitting at there table, where as Luke said not a word. When they finished dinner, Rachel made an announcement for everybody to join them out on the dance floor before dessert. The song Wonderful Tonight started blasting through the speakers.

"Hey, hey, hey! Lorelai, what do you say we go dance? You like this song, right? I remember you saying you like this song. It's one of those Lorelai facts I keep in the back of my head." Luke's voice suddenly got loud, and embarrassing. Lorelai knew he was trashed.

She looked at him, with begging eyes that screamed shut up. But then she felt bad for the guy. She knew he'd been under a lot of stress lately, so she took his offering hand and led them out to the dance floor. He held her close to his face. She was a little uncomfortable, but didn't say anything about it. Luke looked deep into her eyes.

"You're so beautiful." He said pretty quietly.

Lorelai shook her head a little. "Thanks."

"No really Lorelai, I don't think I've ever seen a more beautiful woman than you in my life! You are so beautiful that it's scary."

"I–I know, you said that already. Thanks." She said trying to calm him down, his voice was rising even a little louder.

He leaned in and whispered into her ear. "You know, when I was with Rachel, she made me so happy. I thought she was the greatest thing that ever happened to me." He paused before leaning into her ear again. "Then I met you." He said laughing.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. She knew that he was just drunk, and that he didn't mean anything. "She looks happy, doesn't she?" He asked her, glancing over at Rachel and Robert dancing.

"Yeah, she looks happy."

"I wish I could be that happy, ya know? I was...I was happy I guess. But then I screwed things up with Nicole. I'm such an idiot. Really, I am. I'm the worst with love. And then there's you. I've lost count how many time's I've messed up with you."

"Luke, you're not the worst with love. You made–hell... make Rachel and Nicole so happy. Me too, you're the greatest friend someone could have."

"But guess what Lorelai?" He said, looking into her eyes. "I'm not the only stupid one!" He said knowingly.

Lorelai smiled at him sympathetically, "I know you're not." She said lightly patting him on the back.

"But guess who else is stupid?"

"Who?"

"You! You, Lorelai Gilmore are stupid." Lorelai rolled her eyes, and glared at him. 'He's just messed up right now, don't take it personally Lorelai.' She thought to herself. "You my friend...you are stupid. You always complain to me about how you want a partner in life...somebody to be with. Well guess what, I'm right here. I've always been here, and you are just too stupid to see it! Because you're scared to admit your feelings to me...and you're scared to see my feelings for you. But, I'm not scared, am I? Nope, not scared at all or else I wouldn't be telling you this right now. You on the other hand...you're scared. You're in denial. You're too stubborn to realize any feelings you have for me. 'Mom! It's _Luke!'_ 'Which is her way of saying she's not on a date!' Remember that, huh? Yeah, I must have felt pretty small. And I did, but I didn't let you see it because I didn't want to make you feel bad...feel bad for hurting me, and that's because I love ya. Hell Lorelai–I love you probably more than anybody I've ever loved in my life. And there's one thing I've always wanted to do..." He leaned in closer to Lorelai and tightly pressed his lips against her, and after a second pulled away. His voice raising again, "That! That is what I've always wanted to do, and hell I've done it."

Lorelai's eyes widened, and mouth dropped. 'What was that? Why did he just kiss me?' She was confused. She didn't know what to think...she had no time to think about things, though. All she could concentrate was getting Luke back to the hotel. "Let's get you outside! You need fresh air."

He started laughing, as if this was all a game. "You're so beautiful!" She started to walk even quicker. "Isn't she so beautiful everybody?" He asked the people surrounding the door. 'My God, enough with the beautifuls already.' She thought.

She dragged him out the door and sat him on a bench. She started pacing back and forth in front of him.

"What do you think you were doing in there? Besides screaming at the top of your lungs? And what is all that crap you said back there about? What has come over you, Luke?  Besides the amount of alcohol you've consumed."

He sighed and put his head in his hands-- his head spinning in circles. "I messed up with Rachel. I messed up with Nicole. And now I've messed up with you. I've messed up with Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore...yes, I've messed up with her. What time is it? Is it late? I think we should get back...I've got to open the diner. Yeah, and I don't think we have enough bread. I don't know when the delivery guy is coming."

When his exciting rant came to an end, she placed her hands on his shoulders. "STAY....stay, right here. Stay."

She quickly ran into the party and dragged Rachel to the corner, explaining what happened. She apologized, and told her that she had to go and that she'd call her when the time was right. She headed back outside with her coat and purse, and saw Luke sitting on the bench. 'Thank God.' She thought.

"Come on, let's get out of here! We're going back to the hotel."

Not only was Lorelai mad and embarrassed...she was confused. What was all that talk about? Really, does he mean it? 'He must.' She walked him back to the car, and quickly drove back to the hotel. She helped him up the stairs, and to their room where he collapsed straight on the bed, taking up most of the room. She stole the top comforter from him, and placed it on the ground with a pillow. 'There's no way I'm getting smothered by Luke tonight.'

He was snoring the second she walked out of the bathroom in her night gown. She adjusted on the floor and thought about things. 'Damnit, Luke.'

She lied on the ground thinking, for what seemed like forever...eyes wide open. 'What happened with us tonight? Was that stuff true...about always having feelings for me? Saying he loves me...kissing me? It can't be. It really can't be. It was just the alcohol. Yeah, Lorelai...just the alcohol, it happens to the best of us. Oh who am I kidding? He's asked me out before...too bad Mrs. Kim interrupted us. What am I saying...too bad? It's not like I could ever date Luke. Could I? No...He's my best friend. The one stable thing in my life. The one person I know will always be there. He's the greatest...always helping when he can...and he care's about Rory and me. I couldn't risk losing that Luke. What if something bad happens? I'd never be able to look at him the same way. Plus, you're a fool when it comes to love, Lorelai. Look at what happened with Max. And Christopher...twice. I can't imagine breaking Luke's heart...what am I taking about? It's not like we're dating, so I don't have to worry about any of this. I just need sleep. Yeah, sleep. Goodnight Luke thoughts.' She closed her eyes, but moments later, opened them up. 'But that kiss. Sure it was short...but that kiss...shocking. I didn't know my body could...never mind.'

She finally fell asleep, dreading the waking hours...when she'd have to face Luke and explain what happened last night...unless he remembered...which he might...

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Different, I know. Unusual too but that's how it goes. I tried to make the impression that Luke was so upset because he's a sucka with love! Haha, I don't know if that's how it came off to you guys, but I hope it did.  Please review!

Teaser: Chapter 5-As Long As You Finally Know   
'Oh my, it wasn't a dream was it.'   
Neither said a word the ride home.   
'Come by tonight. Maybe we should talk.'   
Her first thought...no.

Expect Chapter 4 by Wednesday! :) Please review!


	5. As Long As You Finally Know

_A/N: _Hey guys! Sorry I promised I'd get this chapter up by Wednesday when now, it's already Thursday night! My apologies! Anyways, thank you guys all so much for the reviews, whether you liked it or not I can't address my anonymous reviewer because well, they're anonymous--but I hope you're still reading this! I understand that Luke wouldn't say those things because I for one, def. don't think he would but then again this was just an idea, and in this story, that's just how he reacts. But thank you for your input, I really do appreciate it! From all of you. This again, may not seem realistic to some, so...that's okay. But overall, to everybody thanks for all the feedback, and I hope there are still people readin this! :) (Oh one more thing, I'm sure that he wouldn't remember any of the stuff happening, but in here he did, lol)

_Disclaimer:_ The characters aren't mine-This is just an _idea_ & I know, I know it's not true-it's all just fun and play. Unless ASP want's to share her brilliant characters...

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**Chapter Five: As Long As You Finally Know**

It was close to 6 when Luke woke up the next morning...groggily from an interesting night of sleep. He sat up and realized that Lorelai wasn't next to him. 'Where am I anyways? I thought we were supposed to leave after the engagement party...wait whatever happened at the engagement party. Oh my-- it wasn't a dream...was it?' The thoughts of him telling Lorelai he loves her crossed his mind. The words, 'you my friend, are stupid' ran though his head. 'It really did happen...' His stomach dropped and his face grew pale. He noticed Lorelai snuggling up against a little blanket that she had on the floor. It was chilly in the room and he felt bad that she had to sleep on the floor. He grabbed his comforter and placed it over Lorelai and tried to fall back asleep even though his head was pounding and filled with thoughts. 'How could I have let this happen? Did I tell her I love her or did I kiss her or...what the hell happened?' He always had a really good memory, despise how much he drank. 'Oh no, I didn't _just _tell her...I did...I kissed her.' He was anxiously waiting for Lorelai to wake up. Not to say he's sorry but just because he wanted to get the day over with. This couldn't possibly be happening...

He sat in bed, thinking until almost 8:30 when he heard Lorelai shuffling on the floor. She was beside the bed and he opened his eyes a little to see if she was awake, and sure enough she was and staring straight at the ceiling not even noticing Luke was watching her. She looked in desperate need for a pot of coffee. He didn't know if he should say something or if that would be a little weird...they had to talk sometime though?

"Good morning." He said apprehensively.

She turned over to face him and put on a fake smile. "Hi."

She got up and went to the bathroom, bringing her bag with her. She took a while in the bathroom, showering, getting dressed, putting on her makeup...but she finally came out. Luke was sitting on the bed and walked right into the bathroom as soon as she walked out taking an equivalent amount of time, mostly sorting out his thoughts, in the bathroom. 'She's mad at me. But is it because I embarrassed her...or is it because I kissed her...or even because I said I love her? She can't be mad at me for something like that though. I was just admitting my feelings, and damn was I stupid or what. I shouldn't have done that. I'm sure she can't even look me straight in the eye.' He walked out of the bathroom and saw Lorelai sitting on the chair rocking back and forth.

"We should go." She said quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"You ready?"

"Yup."

They left the hotel and drove back to Stars Hollow in complete silence. Neither of them said a word to each other...scared of how the other would react. They were both thinking about things...

'Wow this is weird.' Lorelai thought. 'Maybe if he would have thought about the outcome of his stupid confession...gosh, wait- what am I talking about? It's not his fault. The poor guy just wanted to be open, and he was drunk, and he couldn't control what he said. It's not like he would have done that if he was sober. Gosh, of course he wouldn't, because he's probably scared of what I would say. Now, he's probably mad that this is my reaction. Maybe I should say something? Maybe he'd think it's weird. But the truth is, those stupid feelings for Luke have been haunting me again. More and more since last night. I really don't know what to do about this one, and I don't think my constant whining and bickering will save me this time...'

'She probably hates me. She probably can't wait for me to get her home so she can go and hide away from yet another mistake I've made. And then, she'll avoid me until one of us is mature enough to talk, and knowing Lorelai, it's probably going to be me because that woman's too damn stubborn to admit anything. She would never admit she has feelings for me...but it's not like she does, because she clearly doesn't. You'd think she could at least say something though...'

They arrived at Lorelai's house close to 1. The exchanged a weird glance and Lorelai hopped out and grabbed one of her bags...Luke grabbing the others. She opened the door and walked into her lonely house. She sure wanted Rory around at a time like this. Good thing summer was coming up soon. He set her bags down in the front hallway, and she turned to him, and just stared. It was possibly one of the weirdest way's of communicating those two had. When they were lost on words, there looks explained everything. And Luke looked at her with apologetic eyes screaming, I'm sorry, forgive me, and Lorelai just looked at him sadly like she had nothing to offer him. She didn't know what to say, or how to act around him, but she did know she had to say something or else they'd be standing there, staring at each other forever.

"So...thanks for dropping me off." She said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh, yeah, no problem. So I'll see you around?" He asked hopefully, turning to the door to leave.

She nodded her head and he walked out of her house, and right before she closed the door, he had to say something.

"Come by tonight. Maybe we should talk." He suggested, unaware of what her response would be.

Her first thought...no. That would be bad. But she rethought her answer before telling him. "Ok."

And with that, he left.

It was almost 9 that night when Lorelai was having second thoughts about going to Luke's. It would be so weird...for the both of them...and normally she would turn down his offer and avoid him, running from her problems, but she kept thinking about the things that he said and how much he must regret saying it to her. She felt bad for him...really, so she drove over to the diner and surprisingly enough, Lorelai wasn't the only one there. It had been pretty crowded for 9:00, when the diner was closing in an hour. People were normally never around...but tonight they were. She walked in and looked around for Luke, but didn't see him, so she sat at the counter and patiently waited for him. He walked out of the kitchen and delivered two plates to the people sitting next to Lorelai. He looked up and saw her sitting there, biting at her nails.

"Hey." He said cautiously.

_Boy is this weird._ "Hi."

"It's a little bit busier than expected...you wanna...go upstairs for a bit?"

_Not really..._ "Sure."

"Okay let me go tell Caesar. Hold on."

He went into the kitchen and let Caesar know he'd be back in a little bit. He walked back out and they walked quietly up the stairs to his apartment. He opened the door for her, and she walked in uncomfortably, looking around at the tiny little space Luke lived in. 'How could he possibly live in this small little office?'

He pointed a finger to the couch. "Wanna sit?"

"Yeah...sure."

Luke sat down first, close to the end of the right side. Lorelai sat on the space next to him, not to close, not to far. They both looked ahead, no idea where this was headed.

'This was stupid. I shouldn't have come. I should have just avoided him for the meantime; I can't face him if what he said is true. Can I?'

"Lorelai..." Luke began, not sure of what to say next. "I don't know what to say."

"Then what was the point of my coming here?" She asked, aggravated. All she wanted was answers. The one thing she wanted to know most was if what he said was true. Just to know...just to keep in mind.

"I don't know what came over me. Actually, I'm pretty sure I do..." He said referring to all the alcohol he had consumed that night, "But, I don't know...I said some things, that...might make things weird between us, and though I'm not 100 sure," he looked at her and she was nodding her head, practically telling him what he _thought_ he said was true, "well, I think I am, but regardless, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was stupid, and out of context, and you shouldn't have had to deal with me."

"You were drunk, I understand. It's okay. We can pretend that nothing ever happened and move on with our lives. Go back to normal."

"Normal as in back to the way it was before I told you..." He stopped himself, Lorelai soon to cut him off though.

"Luke, I don't know how it's going to be. You said some things, some things...that were strong, and I don't know what's true and what's not, and I'm not asking for you to tell me what was true or not, but it's going to be hard to move on and act like nothing happened because as much as we try, we both know what happened. I just...why did you say it? Was it just because you were drunk?" And there she was, prying. She didn't want to come out and ask him whether or not it was true. This is the closest she got.

"Part of it."

"Well what's the other part?"

"Me just finally telling you how I feel." He said boldly.

And suddenly, her stomach fell to her feet. Pretty much, Luke just clarified the things to be true. She didn't know where to go from here. Her head was hunched down, looking at her stomach, watching her breathing move her shirt slowly. She swirled her head up quickly to look at Luke who was inches apart. 'Not what I meant to do!' She scolded herself.

And just then, she felt Luke's lips against hers. Experiencing something she's never experienced before. She was intimidated by the way her body took over when Luke kissed her. The kiss sent shivers through her whole body, reliving a first kiss type experience. The one in which can only feel that way once...but this was different. She was experiencing it again, and to her luck, enjoying the hell out of herself. 'This is Luke.' She thought. 'I shouldn't be doing this.' She pulled away quickly, her breathe in a short, panting sequence. Her face was still so close to his though, which looked disappointed. She looked deep into his eyes, looking past everything she's seen before. Past the shape and color...straight to his heart. He wanted this, and she knew it. She never was so sure of something in her life. Did she want it too, though?

She leaned and kissed him again. The same feeling took over. She closed her eyes tighter than before, not daring to open them again. She lifted her hands and started running them across his face while he placed his hands on her sides. Taking it up a notch, she separated their lips with her tongue, increasing the tension both had. There tongues danced in a similar pattern exploring something new. Feeling the need to be closer to him, Lorelai took the liberty of straddling his lap. She throw both legs to either side of his lap and as her long curly hair hung in front of her face, she never broke contact with him. Luke had his arms wrapped around the small of her back; where as Lorelai's hands were pressed against his chest. The whole time, crazy thoughts flushed through her mind. 'Should I be doing this? It's Luke...what if things don't work? Are we already going to fast? Do I want this? Do I...him too?' She knew the answer to every single question and continued their making out like teenagers. Different thoughts were crossing Luke's mind. 'I'm finally kissing Lorelai, I've finally got her...or at least I think I do? I don't know what this signifies us as, but I like it. Does she want this?' He wasn't positive with some answers.

She pulled away, gasping for air and looking passionately into Luke's eyes. But suddenly, a look of confusion ran across her face as she examined Luke...her best friend Luke...her coffee guy Luke...not her boyfriend Luke. And of course in no way was he her boyfriend, but they were a little more friends' right about now. She looked at him as if it was wrong...that she shouldn't be in Luke's apartment, on Luke's lap, kissing Luke. 'This will only end up badly.'

She pulled herself off of Luke's lap and stood up in front of him. "I think I should leave."

You could tell Luke was disappointment. 'Too good to be true.' He thought. 'Typical of Lorelai. To get into something, she knows she wants, but run's because she's scared. What is wrong with this woman? Why can't she accept us? Why does she have to make this so hard?'

"Lorelai...don't."

"No Luke, I really think I should go. I'll....I'll see you later. Goodbye." She walked quickly out of the door and fixed her hair and straightened out her clothes before heading back down. The last thing she wanted was the town to know she was kissing Luke upstairs. She quickly ran out of the diner and drove home. She found herself crying a little. 'See, that's why I don't want to get attached. Because in the long run, one of us will get hurt, and it'll ruin our friendship. Plus, I don't even know if I want there to be something with Luke.' All of a sudden she was confused again...'He's a great guy, but he's my friend. He's the one guy I can always count on, and always run to. What if something bad happened between us and I couldn't do that anymore? I guess you can consider this one of those things. I sort of did just run out on him after I had kissed him...leading him on...but that kiss...those kisses...wow. There was something...something big...something huge...I am stupid. He's right. I do want this. I really do. There's no way I can face him now, though.'

It had been 3 day's, and Lorelai still never went to talk to him. She hardly ever headed towards the direction of the diner-afraid she may run into him-unless she was driving by to get to work. She had been getting everything ready for the Dragonfly to open in a few weeks, and that was the only thing on her mind. Sort of. Everyday, she'd wake up and think of Luke, and go to bed thinking of Luke. All happy thoughts that is...about how she wants to have something with him, but is just scared that she'll hurt him, or he'll hurt her, even though she knew he'd never hurt her. And that's what scared her the most. She knew that if anyone was to get hurt, it'd be him, and she couldn't bare to hurt somebody as special as Luke. It would ruin everything, but some things are worth taking a risk...

Luke had been especially grumpy for the past three days. One minute, he's upstairs in his apartment kissing Lorelai, and the next he's watching every single person in Stars Hollow but Lorelai walk into the diner. He knew she was hiding...he told her that's what she does, and she was only making his opinion of her more accurate. Sure, every feeling he once had for Lorelai was still there, if not more after the kissing, but he was mad...at her, for leaving. And something about this one time, really got to him. He was so close to finally having her, and he let her slip. He scolded himself for not running after her, and since he knew she wouldn't talk to him in person, there was only one thing he could think of doing, even if he did make a fool out of himself.

"Caesar, I'm going upstairs for a few minutes, let me know if you need anything."

And with Caesars grunt of acknowledgment, Luke retreated himself up the stairs and opened the door to his apartment. He stared around the place for a minute or two and then walked over to a little shelf and looked for a piece of paper without something already written on it. He took a piece of paper and a pen and walked over to the table. He was never good with words...especially on paper, but he had to contact Lorelai somehow. He tired calling her, but she never answered, and at this pace, it didn't look like she'd be coming back anytime soon. Writing her a letter was his last option...and it's not like he would ever do this for another girl...only Lorelai. That's just how special she is to him. It took him three tries and over 30 minutes to write a successful letter. He re-read it, and although at some times he was a little harsh and forward, he sounded the same he would in person. He thought it'd work. He went out through the back door and drove over to her house. He knew she'd be at work, so he slipped the letter in her mailbox and walked back to his truck. Right before getting in, he thought of taking the letter out, but decided to leave it in there, hoping she'd respond, somehow.

* * *

Lorelai got home at around 6 that night. She had been working on painting the walls which took a lot of energy out of her, and Sookie's coffee wasn't doing the trick. The one thing she wanted most was to go to Luke's, and innocently sip an oversized mug of coffee, but she knew that she couldn't, and she most certainly wouldn't. She walked home and on her way in saw the mail sticking out of the small box. She took everything out and walked into the house, throwing it all on the table. She started a pot of coffee, and sat down flipping through the mail, bill after bill after bill. She reached the last envelope which was labeled to her, and in the top left corner, where the return address should normally go, she read, "Lukes."

Her stomach dropped, and she felt butterflies swarming around in army's. She was nervous to open it, but eventually got the courage too. She unfolded the average size paper and began to read.

_You know I hate writing letters...but it was my last option, besides coming to see you, and I figured you wouldn't answer your door if you saw it was me. Just like a figured you'd run when I told you what I did at the engagement party. Which is probably why I never told you before, Lorelai. Because you'd get scared and run. And I'm not writing this letter to blame you, and tell you that you made a mistake, but I just wanted to tell you, that I've been very clear with my feelings for the past few days, and every time I'm with you, and something happens, I feel like I've finally got you. Yes, finally. Because whether or not you want it to be, what I said that night was true. Every single word. And it's been that way for years, but why should I tell you? It's not like you'd do something about it besides run. And that's why I hesitated for so long. But now I've finally told you. And I thought that after what happened during our 'talk' at my apartment the other night that you felt something. It's not like you randomly kiss guys you don't have feelings for. But, then again, maybe I'm wrong. Because after that, maybe I don't know you as well as I thought I did. I'm sorry that this letter may sound like I'm yelling, or that I'm mad at you, but...to tell you the truth, I'm just upset. And you know that's not easy for me to admit. But Lorelai, I thought that something might finally work with us, but I guess I'm wrong. I just wanted to let you know that I don't regret telling you how I feel, and that as long as youfinally know, I can live without one more secret I've kept to myself. I just want to let you know, that after you left, I understand the way you feel about us, and that I was wrong, but don't hide, or avoid me any longer, because that will only make things worse. You know you're always welcome in the diner, anytime...so let's not make this any weirder than it already is. If you want to come to talk, fine. If you want to write back, fine. And if you simply want to avoid ever talking about this again, fine too.   
-Luke   
_

_

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_Long chapter, sorry for all the big paragraphs. Anyways, let me know what you think! Please review! :) It'll bring chapter 6 quicker if you guys want it!

Teaser: Chapter 6-Broken Plates and Complete Hearts   
'So, what brings you out here so late.'   
'I want you...'

I sorta feel like the evilpromobastard for all my fanforum readers, if you know what I mean. I'm a fixer, what can I say. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up by Saturday! :) Thanks for reading!!


	6. Broken Plates & Complete Hearts

_Disclaimer:_ All Amy's.

_A/N: _Sorry for the long update. Stupid FF was down! Anyways, here's chapter 6. Enjoy!  
-Thanks for all of the awesome feedback!! I'm so glad you guys like it! Please review! It encourages me..-

_A/N #2: _Look at the bottom of the chapter after you're finished reading.. :o)

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**Chapter Six: Broken Plates and Complete Hearts**

It had been 2 day's since Lorelai got the letter from Luke, and she still hadn't seen him. Clearly, this time, she was not avoiding him the way she was before. This time, she didn't know what to say to him. After much thinking, she came to the conclusion that after the other night with Luke...in his apartment... that she felt something, and she wants there to be something.

And it would be so easy if she would just go there, and admit that to him, but she never played her cards easily. She was always in it to make things complicated. And not because she wanted to, but because she was to scared to ever admit things to people.

She spent the whole week after the party thinking about things with Luke and what she could do to fix them. 'I'm going to have to go see him.' She glanced at the clock, 'it's 10 PM on a Saturday night. Perfect, he's probably closing right about now.' She grabbed her purse and walked towards the door when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hi Mom!"

"Oh, hey Rory! How are you, babe?"

"Not bad, Paris is yelling at me because I didn't put her shoes in the right 'bin', so I thought now would be a good time to call you."

"That girl is just scary."

"You're telling me. So what are you doing at 10 on a Saturday night? No plans?"

"Do I ever have a life?"

"Eh, guess not."

There was an awkward silence. Lorelai told Rory about the whole engagement party fiasco, and the note, and how she never made the effort to go talk to him yet. Rory knew that was on her moms mind.

"Hey, have you talked to Luke yet?" Rory asked quietly.

"Actually...no."

"Mom, you're going to have to talk to him soon. I want to be able to drink his coffee when I come home!"

"And you will..."

"Not anytime soon..."

"Yes...soon. Okay? It's not like I put things off forever!"

"Mom, in 10th grade everybody called you Cleopatra."

"Are you telling me they were...making fun of me? They weren't just calling me that cause she's beautiful?"

"See, exactly my point."

"Oh Rory, I'm not that stupid. I know, I know, Cleopatra Queen of Denial. How many times are we going to go over this? And for your information, I was on my way out the door to go talk to Luke right before you called. So I think I should be going now!"

"No you weren't." She said simply.

"Yes I was! I swear! I even put on the pink shoesand you know I don't joke when I wear those shoes. You know, just in case I get all sad, I look at them, and I'm all better. It's a safe bet, my friend."

"So you really are serious?"

"You're a smart one. So I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, and good luck. Don't chicken out."

"I won't. Goodbye now!"

'Don't chicken out...' She wasn't going to now...she couldn't. She had waited long enough, and she knew that this was right.

She hopped into the car and drove over to the diner, parking out of sight from the windows inside. She walked slowly down the sidewalk towards the front and peeked in through one of the windows. She saw Luke'scrubbing' a table. 'Typical.' She thought. She found herself biting her nails and having seconds thoughts on the whole thing. 'I've gotta do this. Especially if I want something with him. Even if he is Luke. My coffee God. The one who's always there. The guy I think I--'

Right then, she saw Luke looking at her through the window giving her a suspicious look, pretty much asking what she was doing. She slowly walked up the stairs and walked into the diner. The lights were off expect for one on the counter and one in the kitchen. She walked in and looked down at her feet, fiddling with her hands. Luke was staring at her, and she could feel it, but couldn't bare to look up. She had never felt so nervous before. This was a new feeling for her. After a few awkward moments, she looked up and made tight eye contact with him. He looked at her expectantly. She look at him blankly.

"Hi." She said so quietly you could hardly hear her.

"Wow. I don't think I've ever heard you so quiet."

She loosened up a little, knowing Luke was acting the same as always. Because that's what he mentioned in his letter, that they didn't have to talk about it, and he didn't think she'd want to. So, he played the same Luke, while she stood there, clueless.

"Funny. What are you doing?"

"Just cleaning up. I let Caesar off today, so I'm going to go wash the dishes in a little bit. Do you need anything before I go?"

"No, I'm okay."

"You're saying no to coffee. What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing." Her voice was at a normal pitch at this point. She glanced into the kitchen. "Let's go wash those dishes."

He stared at her, confused. "Oh that's right. You like washing dishes...you're weird. Anyone tell you that before?"

"Yeah, I think so."

They walked into the kitchen, a whole new environment for Lorelai. She's only been in the kitchen once or twice when she was helping Luke out with the diner. She walked over to the huge sink with piles of plates in it. Her facial expression turned to a frown, which Luke noticed.

"I'll wash, you dry." He suggested.

"Sounds good."

They began to wash dishes in silence. He knew she wanted to say something, just not sure what. He'd stare at her through the corner of his eyes, trying to imagine what she was thinking about. She looked tense and nervous. That, hemost certainlycould tell.

"So, what brings you out here so late?" He asked handing her a plate to dry.

His voice surprised her. It was almost like she was in her own little world. She sort of forgot she was with Luke and his words scared her. When he handed her the plate, she jumped slightly causing the plate to fall onto the floor and break into a few pieces.

"Oh no!" She screamed when the plate his the floor.

"Lorelai..."

"I'm so sorry!" At the same time, they both bent down to pick up the big chunks of the plate that were spread across the floor. They were at eye level, staring at eachother, only a few inches away. Lorelai was silently praying that he couldn't hear her heart beating at 50 MPH. She was biting nervously on her bottom lip, and Luke was staring intently at it. The second she removed her teeth from her bottom lip, he took the liberty of leaning over and placing his lips over hers kissing her softly. It was short, sweet, and very meaningful.

The second she felt his lips pull away from hers, she almost felt sad...empty. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she didn't want him to pull away, so he leaned back in and kissed her more eagerly this time. This time, all feelings of nervousness washed away. The only thing she could feel was her lips on Luke's, and that's all she wanted to feel for the moment. She didn't wanttheir momentto end but knew they had to sometime. She was sitting uncomfortably on the floor at this point, Luke very close beside her. Without breaking contact, he lifted his arm up and through away the pieces of the plate in the garbage next to them and replacing one of his arms on her side, and the other holding her hand. They sat like that, kissing for what seemed like an eternity, but it was only a couple of minutes.

When they mutually pulled away, Lorelai stared at him and smiled. He knew that was a good sign. They got up and stared at each other, neither daring to break the eye contact. Lorelai had to be the first too, though. She glanced at her wrist, it was almost 10:45 and she had to get back home. She looked at him apologetically and quickly reached into her little coat pocket handing him a piece of paper. She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and practically ran out of the diner, got into her car, and drove quickly home. Luke stood there, oblivious to the paper being in his hand, smiling to himself. He suddenly snapped out of it and unfolded the piece of paper.

I'm not running this time, because this is what I want. I want you...I want there to be an us. I was scared before, but I'm not anymore. I'm ready for this. I'm ready for you, and I hope you're ready too. Love, Lorelai. (Damn, I'm such a good poet, aren't I?)

He re-read the letter a few times, smiling like a fool. First thing he thought...very unlike Lorelai. 'I want you.' He must have re-read that at least 10 times. 'Love, Lorelai.' Sure she didn't mean, I love you, but the word love and Lorelai in the same sentence always made his heart beat quicker. He went up to the apartment, completely forgetting about the dishes, anxiously waiting for the morning to come. 'Tomorrow's Sunday. Lorelai doesn't work on the weekends. She should be here in the morning. Or at least I hope she is.'

When Lorelai got home, she was secretly praying that Luke was ready for this. Of course he said he was before, or at least that he wanted this, but Lorelai is a lot of work. 'He already know's that though.' She laughed to herself. She fell asleep, impatiently awaiting to wake up tomorrow and go to the diner but sleep came before anything...

"Huh?" Lorelai groaned when she woke up from the phone faintly ringing somewhere in her room. She stumbled out of her bed and aimlessly looked for the phone.

"Yeah?" She said out of breath from looking around at...what the hell time was it anyways...she glanced at the clock that read 6. 'Yes, right...6, of course it's frikken 6 on a Sunday when I don't have to be awake.'

"Hi mom!"

"Oh, it's you..."

"I should be offended from the sound of that."

"Chickens chirp, ya know."

"What?"

"I don't know, it's too early to think. Why are you calling me at 6 in the morning anyways? Don't you know me enough to know I'm not going to be up at 6 on a Sunday...the day of rest...?"

"Yeah, which is why I called. Because I know that you hate not answering the phone in the morning,because then you think the person will keep calling, and calling, and you won't be able to fall back asleep."

"It's the truth."

"Exactly...which is why I called you early. And I know you've been extremely busy with the Inn, so I thought now was the only time I'd talk to you."

"Can't argue there. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been better. I've been studying like crazy for finals, I'm glad that the school years almost over. Well, sort of almost over. Not quiet, but soon enough."

"Soon enough to be excited, but long enough to come visit me this weekend?"

"I think I could manage that..."

"Oh, really! And we could go shopping, and see some really stupid movie with Tom Green and take turns mocking it?"

"Since when do we take turns?"

"I don't know...good girls always share you know."

"Right. So, how's the Inn "

"Sounds convincing..."

"It's good. I've been so tied up in all the work though. Besides the little getaway party thing I went to with Luke, I haven't had much time to do stuff."

"Oh that's right...Luke. Did you actually end up talking to him last night?"

"I did. I told you I would."

"I'm very proud of you! How did it go?"

"It was great. Just great. Broke a plate and all, but it was still great."

"Great, yeah? Details?"

"It's only 6. All I can think about right now is going back to sleep." She said getting back into her bed. "Crap! I've actually gotta meet Sookie at the Inn by 7. Good thing you woke me up!" She said getting out of bed quickly. "I'll give you details later, k babe? All I'll tell you now is you'll get your coffee when you come home...who knows, maybe even for free." She said, joking...well, sort of.

"Oh gosh..alright, I'll talk to you later. Bye!"

"Bye Rory."

With all this bottled up excitement, Lorelai needed to tell somebody about her and Luke. Since she didn't have time to tell Rory, she figured Sookie was going to be the one to hear it today. Lorelai smiled, and got ready to go to the Inn.

"You _what?!_" Sookie squealed in excitement. A smile spreading across her face,with clenched hands in excitement, waiting for Lorelai to continue.

"I already told you...I broke the plate."

"Right, right, right, I know. I know, but...no, you gave him the letter. I thought you said you were going to throw it away?"

"Well I was..."

"But..." Sookie was getting very anxious at this point.

"I decided...I should give it to him. It's only nice to write back to somebody when they write to you."

"Right. But, this is Luke! Luke!"

"I know who Luke is, Sookie."

"Really? Good. Very good. I know you know Luke! Of course–ha, of course you do Lorelai! Ah this is so exciting!" She said practically jumping up and down.

"Whoa, Sookie calm down...I don't even know if this is going to work."

"Of course it's going to work! He wants it, you want it, you guys both want eachother, obviously" she said, grinning, "what's not to work?"

A shy smile crept over Lorelai's face when she realized there was nothing standing in their way. "Nothing..."

"Okay, then! You're all set!"

"It's just...I don't know. This is all so new for me...I've just...I never imagined this happening...I want to take things...slow. I want this...to work." Her cheeks blushed a little, "It's just, I need something to happen, something official, a talk, or something...anything...just something that I can reassure myself with at the end of the night. The whole, 'you're bringing this guy home with you tonight!' thing."

"What happend to the slow part?" Sookie asked confused.

"I was kidding."

"About the slow thing, or the coming home with you tonight thing?"

"Sookie, the coming home thing."

"Right. Exactly...well, have you talked to him since last night?"

"Nope, what time is it? I could...get coffee and donuts or something if you want to me to."

Sookie knew she wanted to go see Luke.

"No that's okay, we have that stuff here."

An expression of disappointment washed over Lorelai's face. Sookie laughed.

"I'm kidding. Go, go, go. And take your time. Remember, slooooooow."

"Right. Slow. I'll be back...soon."

"Right."

She took of and drove to the diner, but right before walked in she felt very nervous. 'It's like being in 9th grade all over again.'

She walked into the diner. Luke looked up instantly from behind the counter and smiled as non-obvious to the other people as he could. He figured they were going to keep this on the hush for a little while at least. At least till they were...designated as...something.

She smiled back, not breaking their eye contact. She plopped down on a seat at the counter.

"Good morning," she said flirtatiously.

"How are you?"

"I'm...good, how are you?"

"Good. Everything's...good. What can I get for you?"

"Oh, just two coffees and a lot of donuts. I'm at the Inn with Sookie."

"Isn't it a little early for you to be out of bed?"

That was the one thing she loved. He knew everything about her. How late she slept till, what she eats, all the different sort of sweaters she has, the different hair styles she wears depending on her mood, the stupid sayings she always says...everything.

"Just a tad."

"A tad?"

"Is there something wrong with that sentence?"

He smiled at her. "Nope, not at all." There was abriefsilence. "So last night..."

Butterflies! "Yeah...last night. Ihad...fun."

"So did I."

"Well, good. Yeah...good." Lost on words. Oh she was in love. Just not ready to admit it.

"I was thinking we should do it again."

"What, wash dishes together?"

"No, I mean...hang out, or go out or something. What do you say? Movie..dinner...this week?"

Cutting right to the chase. "Can I pick out the movie?"

"Would it make a difference if I said no?"

"And can I make you eat popcorn?"

"No."

"Oh come on! One piece."

"And what do I get?"

"We'll answer that question later." She said seductively.

Weak to his knees. "Oh lucky me." He said sarcastically.

"Ouch. I do believe that was a shut down. Guess you just lost out on Lorelai."

"Oh I was kidding."

"Sure ya were. We'll see about that. That might of lost you the goodnight kiss opportunity. Hey, there might not even be an opportunity after that. I'm just some other ugly girl, right?" At this point she was messing with him.

"You are _definitely_ not ugly.." It came out quickly, and he felt somewhat embarrassed.

Lorelai couldn't help but smile as her cheeks grew hotter and her legs grew weaker. He always had a thing with words...

"I think you earned yourself that kiss goodnight."

"That's better. So, when do you want to do this?"

"I don't know. Soon, I need a break."

"Tomorrow night sound good?"

"Sound's perfect."

She grabbed the coffee and stuffed bag of donuts and walked to the door, turning her head before leaving.

"Bye Luke."

"Bye." He said nodding his head.

'A date with Lorelai...it's about damn time.'

'A date with Luke. What should I wear cause last time I checked...I didn'tsee any plaid.'

* * *

Sort of a confusing chapter, I had to take a long part out, but I hope you guys enjoyed it anyways!

Teaser: Chapter 7-Puppy Dog Stuff  
"The refrigerator repair dudes are supposed to be coming to my house within the hours of 4-9 tomorrow."  
"So, you have to cancel tomorrow?"  
"We never really got to talk about that engagement party."

2 Important Things!  
A.) Do _you _want 'I love yous' in this story? Yes or No.  
B.) Next chapter _is_ the last! :)

I just want your opinions on ILY's because I've already got the last chapter down, and I know what happens but I don't know if you'll like it...so here's your oppertunity to let me know!

Please review! :)  
(Expect the final chapter sometime this weekend!)


	7. Puppy Dog Stuff

_Authors Note: _I'm sorry for the long update! Hope you guys still remember what's goin on! Anyways, here it is, the last chapter! I was extremely undecided about the ILY's and a few other things in this chapter, so I don't know, it's not the best! But, I hope you guys have enjoyed the story! It's always fun to read something slightly AU. Also, a HUGE HUGE HUGE thank's to all the reviewers!! This story has gotten the best reviews and I'm so thankful for all of you!! You guys are the best! Enjoy the last chapter and...I think it's finally safe to say this, but expect a new story coming out soon from me and another awesome FF writer! Early next week hopefully! Anyways, have fun reading and once again thank you so much! Please RR!

_Disclaimer: _A month later, they're still not mine.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Puppy Dog Stuff**

While Lorelai walked out to her car, her mind began to wonder. 'Me and Luke...together...what will people say? Miss Patty? Sookie...oh gosh she'll go crazy, well she already did. And she'll probably rub it in my face just like I did when she couldn't get to the Inn to let the repairmen in. Oh crap, repairmen!' She turned around and ran right back into the diner.

"Luke!"

Luke walked out of the kitchen with two plates and looked at her curiously. He walked over to the couple sitting in the back and gave them their food, Lorelai followed.

"You know, Luke. I don't have a good memory."

"Yeah, I know." He said matter-of-factly.

"No, really. In 8th grade, I had this huge project to do with this boy who I had a huge crush on, Brian something or other, and I completely forgot to do my part of the project over the weekend..."

"Aren't you supposed to do projects together?"

"Dirty!"

"Keep going with this ridiculous story, and try to get to the point soon."

"Love the attitude, mister. Anyways, I forgot to do it, and then he ended up practically hating me, and well my shot of ever showing myself off to him failed."

"Oh, come on Lorelai, where is this going?"

"Well, I guess I could have ended with the, 'I have a bad memory' statement."

"So, you have a bad memory..."

"And refrigerator guys are so annoying..." She continued.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"The refrigerator repair dudes are supposed to be coming to my house within the hours of 4-9 tomorrow." She said quickly.

"Isn't that a little late?"

"It's the only time the cute guy was free, babe." She said smiling at him.

"So, you have to cancel tomorrow?" He asked.

"Well, I don't really want to cancel it."

"Okay..."

"And..." She lowered her voice, "I don't think you want to either." She said ina seductive voice, just to make him uncomfortable. She grinned slyly at him. "So, why don't you come over tomorrow? I can make us dinner, and we can watch movies and make kissy faces at each other while 'Lets Get It On' plays in the background."

"So many things are wrong with that sentence." He said dully.

"Pardon me?"

"And that sounds wrong also."

"You're making no sense."

"I'm not making sense?" He started to laugh, "Lorelai, what makes you think I'd eat something you'd cook."

She acted hurt. "Luke, I'm such a good cook I should compete with those guys on Iron Chef. Yes, I can see it now. The dude from Japan. The crowd claps. The dude from China. The crowd boo's. Lorelai from Connecticut. The crowd goes wild!"

"That's exactly how it'd go." He said smiling at her.

"So, what do you say? Do you mind if we stay at my house tomorrow, and then we can go on the real date sometime later this week?"

"That's fine, don't worry. Just–promise me you really aren't going to cook."

"Are you crazy, I would never cook." She said in all seriousness.

"Good. So I'll see you tomorrow, will you be here in the morning?"

"Most likely not. Crazy day planned and then I'll have to be home by 4 to wait for the stupid fridge guys."

"Okay, so, what time should I come over?"

"7 sound good?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then."

"Thanks Luke."

"No problem."

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Right before Lorelai was leaving work the next day, Sookie stopped her in the kitchen. She noticed that the whole day, Lorelai was smiling and mumbling little things to herself. Not that Lorelai talking to herself was unusual, but she normally did that when she was mad. And the whole smile and talking to herself sort of vetoed the idea that she was upset. She looked real happy.

"Hey, Lorelai, sweetie come here."

Lorelai obviously wasn't paying attention and continued walking to the coffee pot to refill her to-go cup she had in hand.

"Lorelai!" Sookie said louder this time, Lorelai turned around and smiled.

"Yeah!"

"When are you guys going out tonight?"

"7!" Lorelai said quickly. Then turned back and looked at Sookie suspiciously. "Wait...how did you know I was going out with someone..."

"Uh, I can just tell."

"That obvious?" She said.

"Yeah, I'd say so. But that's a good thing, really. Most people would kill to be as happy as you look right now."

"I am happy."

"Good. I'm glad you're happy. And more importantly, I'm glad you're happy with Luke."

"I know, I am too. Really, it's funny. Because if you think about it Luke and I have been friends for years and not once have we even acted like a couple. I mean it was always strictly a friendship thing, nothing more."

Sookie gave her a look. Pretty much a look thatasked what the hell are you kidding yourself for?

"Lorelai, you're not that blind are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Lorelai, for years, and ha- boy do I mean _years,_ you and Luke have danced around each other. And the only thing I think you've heard more than that is people in the town telling you different speculations about the two of you. We've all been trying to get you to realize that Luke has a thing for you, for years. And we all knew you had a thing for him but you were just; excuse my language, too chicken shit to realize it." She ended her rant with a proud smile where as Lorelai just looked confused.

"Hey, I thought that this conversation was supposed to be a happy one!"

"It was a happy one! And they will continue to be as long as you realize what's right for you."

"I will–I mean I am."

"Good. So, back to my original question. When are you guys going out?"

"Well we were supposed to be going to a movie and dinner tonight, but I forgot that the stupid fridge repair guys are coming to my house."

"Didn't they just come like, two weeks ago?"

"Which it the reason I got somebody new this time…"

"Okay..."

"...So, Luke is just going to come over and we'll watch movies and stuff."

"And stuff?" Sookie asked curiously.

"Funny."

"No, I'm just trying to figure out what 'and stuff' means." She said grinning.

"I'm going to go now."

"Have fun!" She called out right before Lorelai walked out of the kitchen.

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x_

It was about 6:30 when Lorelai decided to get ready. Still-no fridge guys. She walked up to her room and changed into one if the many pairs of tight jeans that she owns, and a light pink sweater. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and reapplied her makeup. It was 5 minutes to seven and she was actually ready, early. At exactly 7, Luke rang the bell. Lorelai ran to the door and smiled at the sight of Luke, brown bags of food in hand.

"Hey you! Come in, come in."

"I brought food."

"Good thinking. I hope you brought lots, I'm starving!"

"That's unusual."

He put the bags down on the table and turned to Lorelai and looked her over. She leaned up on her tip toes and gave him a peck on his lips.

"Ready?"

"Yup."

They adjusted themselves on the couch, food spread out on the table, and Lorelai yet again gave Luke a quick run down on the rules of watching a movie with her. She put in some very random, yet classic movie chosen out, obviously by Lorelai, and they started to eat. When they were finished, they leaned back against the couch and tried to watch the movie. At some point, Luke wrapped his arm around Lorelai's shoulders and pulled her in closer. She rested her head against his shoulder and grasped around this stomach with her hands, looking much like a little 5 year old. They sat like this through out the whole movie, and when the credits rolled around, she looked up at him and smiled. Her face was only inches away from his.

"Hi." She said quietly, and then leaned in and kissed him softly on his lips.

"Hi."

"Did you like the movie?"

"Oh yeah."

"Good, I'm glad." She repositioned herself on the couch and was sitting sideways on Luke's lap. He clasped his hands around her waist, and she just played with her fingers. She leaned down and kissed him quickly. She pulled away and looked around the room, taking everything in. She leaned down again and pressed her forehead slightly against his, looked into his eyes and smiled. As soon as she was going to kiss him again, the doorbell rang. She groaned and got up and walked to the door only to see the repair man there, 8:45 and all, with his very own Bert in hand.

"I'm here to fix a fridge for," he looked down at his papers, "a Ms.--"

"Obviously it's mine. Come in, come in."

She took him to the kitchen and explained the problem. All he did was nod his head the whole time, and Lorelai excused herself to let him work. She walked back into the living room, where Luke had the end of a baseball game on TV. She laughed and shook her head.

"Uh-uh, I don't think so." She said, and grabbed the remote out of his hand and shut the TV off. She sat down again next to him and leaned in to continue what they were doing before they were rudely interrup–

"All done." The 'fridge dude' said, as he walked in on Luke and Lorelai finally kissing. Lorelai hoped up quickly and walked over to him.

"That was, wow- that was quick." She said, clearly amazed.

"Just had to mess around with a few switches."

"Got it. Thanks for the help."

"No problem. We'll send you a bill in the mail. Have a good night, you two." He said looking at them both, and walked out of the house.

Lorelai walked to the door and locked it behind him. She headed back to the couch and sat next to Luke. She threw her legs on the coffee table and turned her head to him.

"I don't think there will be any more interruptions. Sorry."

"It's okay. You were expecting him."

"Yeah, anyways." She thought for a second, and begun twirling her hair. "We never really got to talk about that engagement party." She said smiling at him.

"Yeah, the engagement party."

"Have you ever talked to Rachel?"

"No, I couldn't get myself too."

"Why?"

"I probably ruined her night."

"You didn't do much damage, to tell you the truth."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, after all," she began, grabbing his hand and playing with his fingers. "You said a lot of things, which I don't know… if you didn't say, we might not be here right now." The whole time she was talking, she was looking down at their hands, but when she said that they might not be right there, now, she looked up and him and studied his face.

"You're right."

"You did say a lot of things, ya know."

"I know I did."

"Some things like...I'm beautiful." Her voice was very quiet at this point.

"You are."

"And that you've always had feelings for me."

"I have."

"And, some other…_really_ big things." She said, referring to when he said I love you.

He knew exactly what she meant… "I know." He said confidently.

"And, I just wanted to make sure it was all true, or else…my coming on to you would have been completely unexpected…I mean, if you didn't want me."

"I do want you."The words made her shiver.He leaned down to her face and kissed her softly. "And just to let you know, everything I said was true."

"Good."

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad it's all true."

She took the opportunity to gently kiss him repetitively on his lips. After a few minutes of light kisses, she intensified it all, allowing her tongue to explore his mouth. They sat on the couch for a while, continuing their kissing, until Lorelai pulled away and her eyes quickly averted to the staircase which headed to her room which headed to…the bed. She looked back and forth from the stairs to Luke. He nodded his head, and she took his hand leading him to a world he's never experienced.

_x-x-x-x-x-x-x_

As they lied in Lorelai's bed, wrapped in each others arms in the pitch black of the night, Lorelai felt the need to constantly be kissing him…anywhere. Lips, cheek, nose, neck…where ever wonders led her.

"…but she laughed. She thought it was funny."

"Did you explain everything to her?"

"Well, I decided to skip the part about you saying I was beautiful because, I'm pretty sure the whole crowd heard you scream it that one time." He laughed a little with her.

"Yeah, well, I didn't mean too."

"Oh."

Was that disappointment he head in her voice? "I mean, it's true. But, if I could have said it, say on a more sober level, I'm sure I wouldn't have screamed it."

"Ah, gotcha."

"Yeah but anyways…I'll call her soon. I'm glad that one of us at least did. Thank you." He said kissing her.

"All I'm going to say is if you're invited to the wedding, you better not have a different date."

"Oh yeah, and why is that."

"Hey!" She said punching him playfully in his stomach. "You're only allowed to have one woman at a time, ya know."

"Who said you're my woman?" He asked, teasing her a little.

"I said I'm your woman."

He laughed a little and gave her another kiss before quickly turning over to see what time it was…it was definitely a little later than expected.

"It's getting late. I should go."

"So that's your style, huh? Do 'em, and ditch 'em."

"Ah jeez, Lorelai…"

"Sorry, do you want me to put it in more mature terms. So that's your style, huh? Make love to your woman and leave her because it's getting late and the thought of no sleep drives you wild with nerves."

"I just said it was getting late ya know."

"Followed by 'I should go.'"

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Personally, I thought it'd be cool if you could pull a Romeo. You know, stand outside my window, obsessing over me, saying you want me and all that fun stuff."

"Maybe another night when it's not raining."

She turned her head towards the window and noticed that it was in fact, raining but not very hard.

"So then just stay with me." She said simply.

"Yeah?"

"Well, you know I don't kick in bed…or in…bed-bed for that matter." She said nudging him.

"I have had experience…"

"And, it _is_ raining…"

"Yeah, it is…"

"So, why don't you just stay with me? I want you too."

"Alright then," he kissed the top of her head, "I'll stay with you."

"Good."

They were both quiet for a little while, thinking about the moments they've spent together within the past few days…this particular moment probably being number one. When Luke's hand brushed across hers underneath the cover, the night they stayed in the hotel flashed back to her mind.

"Hey can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

"Well, remember that time I slept at your house. The night the Inn burned down."

"Yeah."

"And remember I told you I had that dream, that you are I were married."

"Yeah, I do."

"Well, I bet you don't remember but I was saying the end of my dream, and I was _going_ to say that before you left for work, in my dream of course, that we kissed. But I figured you'd think I was stupid and laugh."

He laughed, but just to annoy her. "Having dreams about kissing me…"

"Anyways Mr. Cocky…I had another dream like that the night we stayed at the hotel."

"Really?" He wasn't even going to talk about the endless amounts of dreams he's had of her.

"It was funny…it was sort of like that first dream I had, but this time we were having triplets. And, we sat down to eat breakfast, and you held my hand," she began searching for his hand to hold, "and then when I woke up, your hand was against mine."

"That's weird."

"Dreams _can_ be weird."

"And somewhat like predictions…" He offered.

"Yes. Somewhat like predictions…" She repeated, smiling to herself. "The best predictions I've ever gotten, that's for sure." She said under her breath.

Predictions lead to reality and reality leads to love. Funny how things work out. Sort of like the way their hands fit so perfectly together. And sort of like the way there names sound _so_ incredible together.

'_Now **that** will make one hell of a wedding invitation.' _She thought to herself, smiling.

_x-x-_ The End _x-x

* * *

_

Hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Sorry for those who reviewed and wanted ILY's. I didn't think I could pull it off, but there are _refrences_ of love. Like the convo they had on the couch, and 'making love to your woman...' you know the drill. So thanks for all the reviews! One last one wouldn't hurt would it?! :) You guys rock. Thanks for reading!

**_"He always wanted to admit his feelings...just not this way. But with her, any way would work."_**


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